The design and engineering of a multi-component product, such as an automobile, typically involves the simultaneous product development activities of many, often technically diverse, business groups. Such projects are often marked by failure to meet various project objectives, such as production costs and time schedules, and may result in the design of components which are incompatible with the overall product.
Several factors contribute to the failure to meet overall product design and production objectives in a multi-component product manufacturing project. A product design and engineering project for complex products such as an automobile is typically subdivided among separate operating groups, often separate business entities, each of which has responsibility for one or more components (or subsystems) of the product. For example, one group may be responsible for the design and engineering of the powertrain components of a vehicle, another group for the electrical system, another group for the body structure, another for the interior, another for the exterior, another group for the chassis, etc.
While some overall vehicle, subsystem, and component objectives may be established at the onset of the project, each of the groups often completes the design and/or engineering of their subsystem by changing or sacrificing one or more of their objectives, or changing the design or process of production for their subsystem, without communicating the changes to the other groups or to those responsible for the completed product. While these changes may be acceptable to the group responsible for the particular subsystem, the effect of these changes on other related subsystems, and a cumulative impact of changes on the overall product is often not appreciated or considered until late in the project.
Variation in the objectives and/or strategies of a particular group during the project may also affect the ability of another group to reach its objectives. For example, a slight, but non-critical change in the design of a sidewall trim component might be implemented without jeopardizing any of the objectives for that component. However, that change may create a fatal incompatibility with the instrument panel component of the same vehicle. Thus, the failure to timely communicate changes in design and/or implementation by the individual groups can have a ripple affect on the other groups which, if discovered too late in the project, can contribute to the failure of one or more of the groups in meeting their objectives.
Similarly, while a cost overrun, an increase in component weight, or a subtle change in design of a particular component may result in a particular group meeting the majority of their stated objectives within an acceptable variance, the cumulative affect of these variances may result in an unexpected failure to meet overall vehicle objectives. For example, each group might meet all of its objectives except for cost, resulting in an unacceptable overrun on the entire project. Alternatively, if enough groups exceed their weight objectives, though by a relatively small amount, the cumulative affect may be a vehicle that is significantly, and unacceptably, overweight.
These problems, inherent in the production of a multi-component product, underscore a need for clearly defined system and component objectives that meet the overall vehicle definition at the onset.
There is also a need to identify the diverse but interrelated interests and goals of each of the separate operating groups and/or business entities involved in the project.
There is also a need to monitor and assess performance in relation to each group's stated objectives during the project.
There is also a need for facilitating communication between the separate groups at all times during the project so the impact of changes in one group's strategy and/or objectives on any other group can be identified early in the process.
There is also a need for communication by each of the groups to the overall product management level of variances in the objectives and/or strategies implemented by the groups, so that the impact of such variations on the overall product can be quickly identified and assessed.
Finally, there is a need for a comprehensive integrated management system which identifies and tracks overall and individual group objectives and strategies for meeting those objectives, and which evaluates each group's progress, and the effects of that progress and/or any variances in the group's strategies or objectives on the other groups, and on the overall project, on an ongoing basis.